Yuletide Comforts
by Nephila
Summary: Another story I did for Christmas in July a couple years ago... Harry spends yet another year listening to his family celebrate Christmas. He is depressed and bitter... until he finds a hidden present under the tree with his name on it.
Beta'd by Lynnwiley. Thanks for reading.

* * *

Harry Age 10

Harry sat curled up in the cupboard under the stairs of his family's home. A small shiver ran down his spine as the cold air rose from a large crack in the floor. He tried hiding more of his body under the flimsy blanket he had saved from being thrown away, but had little success.

Loud obnoxious singing pulled him from his thoughts as his family and their friends gathered in the dining room. Harry could hear glasses clink together as toasts were made and drinks were gulped down, cutlery was scraped against plates as hungry guests devoured the food he had spent all day preparing, and Christmas carols were butchered by the rowdy guests. Harry grimaced as a particularly tone-deaf guest belted out her own version of White Christmas.

Harry shifted his body closer to the door of his cupboard trying to feel the heat leaking in from under it. Cupping his hands around his mouth he blew into them trying to stop the tingling. Harry never understood how this tiny space in the middle of the house could always be so much colder than the other rooms.

He moved to the back wall of the cupboard as he heard the guests begin to make their way into the living room. This was the part that Harry had been dreading… presents. He would have to sit here and listen to overly loud exclamations, squeals of feigned delight, empty thank you's, and false laughs as every person in the room across the hall opened neatly decorated gifts.

On most days, Harry didn't really resent his family. He knew that they had never wanted to take him in. He knew that he was a burden that his good for nothing parents had forced on them. But this one day. The day where family should always come first, no matter who that family was, he was locked in his "room". Forgotten until everyone had left and the mess that had been left behind needed to be cleaned up.

He couldn't hate his family more on this day. This single day of the year he dreamed of standing over his family barking out commands as they crawled around on their hands and knees scrubbing the floors.

A smile lit up the child's face as he dreamed up visions of being in charge. Bossing his uncle around and making him do all the chores. Informing him that everything he had done wasn't good enough and that he would be punished. Forcing his aunt to make him food. Anything and everything he wanted, and she couldn't have one bite!

Harry had to smother a giggle that was trying to escape. His mind was supplying him with such amazing pictures. He never wanted to wake up if this was going to be his life in his dreams.

Harry smiled as his mind moved to his cousin. He pictured himself running up to the fat blob and pushing him with all his might. Dudley almost seemed to bounce as Harry watched him fall down the stairs, landing in a broken heap at the bottom.

Harry continued to observe as the scene slowly changed before him. Dudley was playing on the swings with his friends in the park at the end of their street. He stood in front of his cousin with arms crossed over his chest, glaring menacingly. Harry surged forward and pushed Dudley off the swings, screaming at him for his worthlessness and stupidity. He watched with a satisfied smirk as Dudley ran home crying.

Harry jolted out of his thoughts as a loud bang sounded against his door.

"Get up you little freak. There is cleaning to be done," His aunt's shrill voice called as she began to walk away. All the guests must have left if she was talking to him again. Harry slowly crawled out from under the stairs and stretched. His muscles were sore from spending so much time curled up under there.

He slowly walked toward the kitchen as the warmth of the house began to thaw his bones. Walking through the door he cringed. Trash, food, and dishes were everywhere. It even looked like someone had thrown up in the corner. His family had gone all out this Christmas, seemingly just to make his life miserable… Joy.

As Harry began cleaning, his cousin waddled into the kitchen with one of the many presents he had received that year, no doubt to rub it in his face.

"Hey freak, look what I got from mummy and daddy this year! It's the most expensive state of the art gaming system ever! And it's all mine!" He shoved it in Harry's face, pushing him in the process.

"I wonder what your drunk lazy parents would have gotten you if they were still alive… Oh I know!" Dudley grabbed Harry's arm and dragged him to the far side of the room before pushing him hard enough to send him to his knees… right into the vomit he had cringed at earlier.

"You should learn to be grateful for this freak. If your parents were still alive all you would get would be nasty stuff like this that only trash like you would deserve." Dudley laughed at his sorry attempt at an insult and waddled off to play with his toys.

Harry gagged at the acidic smell of bile surrounding him and slowly got up to clean himself off before going back to cleaning the rest of the mess, leaving the wretched corner for last… he didn't want to deal with that right now.

Time passed slowly for the small boy, working for what seemed like hours. The house was silent except for the slight swish of the broom he was using and the snores coming from one of the upstairs bedrooms. His eyes drooped, but he didn't dare take a break, afraid that his aunt or uncle would wake and find him asleep while there was still work to be done. He glanced at the clock on the wall and realized it was almost midnight. He was almost done but he wouldn't have much time to rest before his aunt and uncle would be up and expecting him to start their breakfast. Luckily they had plenty of leftovers from Christmas morning and his family would be content with that.

Grabbing the waste bin and a roll of paper towels, he moved to the last dirty corner of the house. The smell had left but he still cringed at the sight of it. Slowly he began to wipe up the mess as he let his mind wander. Would his family really have been as bad as Dudley said? Surely they would have loved him and given him toys for Christmas and his birthday?

He sighed as he tried to picture his family in his mind. His mum gently waking him with a kiss to his forehead early Christmas morning. His father having to carry him still half asleep down the stairs to the family room so the brightly wrapped packages could wake his tired eyes up.

Tears began to streak down his cheeks. He craved more than anything for the love of a family. Someone to care if he fell and skinned his knee, someone to want him to do well in school, someone to tuck him in at night and kiss his head or calm his fears and hold him close if he had a nightmare. He would never in his life be able to know any of these things. He lost that chance when his parents gave up their lives.

Sometimes he hated them. He wished he could bring them back to life so that he could scream at them and hit them, let them know what they had done to him by dying. What they had given up! Harry would have done anything for them! If they had just lived… he would have done everything in his power to make them happy, make them love him. He wouldn't have cared if they drank, he wouldn't care if they were criminals, just as long as they were there for him.

He wiped angrily at his face with the collar of his shirt. Stupid family! Stupid chores! Stupid… trashcan! Without thinking he turned and kicked the trashcan across the kitchen. It hit the table and fell to its side taking a chair down with it. Cringing he stood, not moving a muscle, straining his ears to hear if anyone was getting up.

The snoring continued and he breathed a sigh of relief. He quickly picked up the fallen furniture and took the trash to the bins outside. After emptying the can he slowly made his way toward the rear of the house, only stopping once he reached the steps that led to the door. Plopping down on the bottom step he gazed up at the sky. The stars winked at him and he grinned back. He loved the stars. They were so bright and beautiful, not a care in the world. All they had to do was twinkle and let people make wishes on them. Stars were so lucky.

Stretching, he got up and made his way back inside. He placed the can back under the sink and took one last look around the house. Everything seemed to be in its place and spotless.

He rubbed his eyes and tried to stop another yawn as he began to make his way back to his cupboard. Stopping he glanced back at the brightly decorated tree where something had caught his eye. He crept over, half expecting an alarm to go off if he got too close to his families precious tree. A small package with bright red paper and a golden ribbon was half hidden under the tree skirt. Stretching his hand out he gently picked up the package and brought it toward him.

His hands shook and his eyes became wide as he read his name written in beautiful loopy letters. Turning the object over he slowly peeled back the paper and pulled it away from the box. Sitting down on the ground he placed the box in front of him and grasped the sides. He slowly lifted the top away from the rest of the package and peered around it to see what lay inside.

Sitting neatly in layers of tissue paper was a beautiful picture frame. Lightly running his fingers over the frame he found that it was wood and seemed to be hand carved. Small stars littered the top and sides of the frame, and a crescent moon sat in the top left corner. The bottom half of the frame had flowers carved into it and in the bottom right corner nestled into a bunch of intricately carved lilies lay a fawn, nose tucked into its belly sleeping peacefully.

Within the frame sat a picture of a family. The man was tall with a chiseled face, glasses sat on a straight nose and a proud smile touched his lips as he gazed at the others in the photo. The woman standing next to him was breath taking. She was tiny, only coming up to the man's chin. She had bright flowing hair and a kind smile, but it was her eyes that caught his attention, eyes so like his own. She lovingly observed the small child in her arms while the baby in turn watched his mother.

Tears once again rolled unchecked down Harry's cheeks as he ran his fingers over the picture. His family… this was his family. His mother and father, holding him, smiling at him… loving him. A sob escaped his throat as he hugged the picture close to his chest. For several minutes he just sat in the middle of the living room, touching and holding the picture of his family.

Eventually he regained his senses and wiped his face. Picking up the box and paper he took it to the trash and hid it under some paper towels before going back to his cupboard and curling up on his cot. As he held the picture close, his body slowly relaxed and he fell into a peaceful sleep.

In the living room two figures stood next to the tree holding each other close, tears in their eyes as they watched their child crawl into the small cupboard. Waiting a few minutes for the child to fall asleep, they moved forward and opened the small door. The woman slowly knelt down and peered in at the boy.

Her child, looking so small and fragile, was curled up on a cot with a thin blanket pooled around his waist. She reached out and pulled it up to his shoulders. Hesitating, she drew her hand up to his face and brushed the fringe away from his eyes. Trembling she leaned forward and gently placed a kiss to the boys brow before moving back so her husband could see the boy too.

The man knelt in the door and watched his son sleep. He tried to be strong, but his tears would not stop. Guilt and anger flooded him as he looked at his son. So strong in the face of so much hate. He didn't deserve to be treated like dirt, like he was nothing. He had seen his son's anger earlier that night, had felt his pain as he cried for the life he couldn't have. He hated himself for not being there for Harry, for not protecting him from these foul people he was forced to call family. He too leaned forward and lightly brushed a kiss to his son's forehead before running his fingers through his soft hair.

Harry shivered as a chill swept through the small space, and the adults frowned. Both moved back and clasped hands, concentrating they slowly pulled up as much magic as they could and charmed the blanket covering their son to stay warm. The last of their magic went to the hole in the floor, causing it to vanish and the cold air from under the house to no longer seep into the small space.

Both leaned in and kissed their son once more before moving away and closing the door. They slowly made their way back into the room where they had watched their son open his first present. As the clock began to chime midnight they looked to each other and smiled sadly as they began to fade. Soon nothing was left of the two and the only evidence that they had been there was wrapped in their sleeping son's arms.


End file.
